New Camera Sensor Curves Like The Human Eye For More Realistic Photos

From Polaroids to film to camera phones, we have tried to obtain memories by photograph for a long time, and are always trying to make those pictures be as close to life as possible. Integral to the quality of the photograph is the camera’s sensor, which Sony is currently redesigning in a major way.

Part of the reason photographs never look exactly like the images seen straight from our eyes is the fact that the human eye is curved and a camera is not. Recent studies have led to the production of curved televisions, which both Samsung and LG have claimed greatly improve the viewing experience, so it was only a matter of time before someone thought to make a curved camera sensor.

During last week’s Symposia on VLSI Technology and Circuits, Sony disclosed a picture of a curved camera sensor that they have apparently been working on for years. Called the CMOS, this sensor is curved just like the human eye. It permits rays of light to hit the sensor head on instead of at an angle, like other cameras. When light hits the sensor at an angle, the image becomes distorted, and causes the blurriness sometimes seen around the outer edges of a photograph. This new curved design not only solves that problem but also lets in more light than a traditional flat designs, making for sharper images.

Sony has two versions of the CMOS, one that could be used for portable cameras, and another that could be implemented into mobile devices. According to Gizmodo, only about 100 have been produced so far, but Sony imagines they will be hitting the consumer market pretty soon.